NHMS Helps Kick Off Laconia Bike Week

DescriptionLaconia’s Motorcycle Week kicked off on Thursday, and New Hampshire Motor Speedway was there to invite riders to the NHMS events.

WEIRS BEACH, N.H. - With New Hampshire Motor Speedway personnel sitting amongst a large crowd gathered inside the Weirs Beach Lobster Pound for Thursday's Laconia Motorcycle Week kickoff, Director of Operations Tom Blanchette formally announced the schedule for the 91st annual Loudon Classic. The three-day event, held June 20-22, will feature over 35 races and a surplus of on- and off-track events.

"We have the oldest, longest-running motorcycle event in the nation," said Blanchette, "and we have an exciting weekend planned, which includes the Middleweight Grand Prix feature event on Saturday. But it truly all begins for us this weekend with the USCRA. We'll have two days of vintage racing and that's a great way to get thing started and warmed up for the next week."

The United States Classic Racing Association will hold its FIM (Federation Internationale de Motocyclisme) vintage road racing championships on Saturday, June 14 and Sunday, June 15. The FIM is biggest international sanctioning organization for motorcycle racing in the world, and this weekend's championships will be the only of their kind held in North America this year.

"It's very exciting to be a part of Laconia Motorcycle Week and, specifically, the Loudon Classic," said the director of the USCRA, Robert Coy, who raced in the Loudon Classic starting in the 1960s up through the mid-80s. "It's always been a terrific event to participate in and it's really great to run at the speedway. We started running at the old Briar Motorsports Park in the 80s and now to the present ownership."

In addition to the running of the 91st annual Loudon Classic feature event, the three-day weekend of action will also include traditional and sidecar racing, the fan favorite motard event and new for 2014: SuperMoto East Coast and SuperMotor Quebec, which will race dirt bikes on Saturday and Sunday.

"We'll have 60 to 80 competitors from all over the East Coast and our friends from the North," said Blanchette. "They'll compete on a modern-day race course that's a combination of asphalt, dirt and urban obstacles. There will be a lot of excitement for that event."

In addition to an overflowing on-track schedule, there will be several entertaining non-racing events, including the sixth annual State of New Hampshire Legislators Parade Lap, ladies mud wrestling and a burnout session open to anyone 16-and-older that holds a valid license.

On top of the customary on- and off-track events, New Hampshire Motor Speedway will have motorcycle racing schools available for up-and-comers; the Laconia Harley Davidson Community Appreciation Charity Ride on Saturday, June 21 at 10:00 a.m.; as well as daily Harley-Davidson manufacturer rides, where enthusiasts can take the latest and greatest the company has to offer for demo rides.

Tickets for the Loudon Classic will be available at the gate. For more information please call 603-783-4931 or visit www.nhms.com.

The 91st Loudon Classic is part of the 2014 racing season at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, which also includes the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Camping World RV Sales 301 on July 13 and SYLVANIA 300 on Sept. 21.